Abkhazia
MP opens fire in Abkhazian Parliament, killing fellow MP
The shooting roiled an already tense political environment in Abkhazia.
A number of travel agencies operating in Abkhazia have claimed that Russian citizens are cancelling tours there, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti has reported. This follows an explosion at a military warehouse near Gudauta on 2 August which killed two Russian tourists.
RIA Novosti quoted Irina Tyurina, spokesperson for the Russian Travel Industry Union (RST), as making the claims on 4 August. RST includes more than 1,000 travel agencies.
Tyurina said that companies had been receiving a lot of calls from Russians who had cancelled tours to Abkhazia the day before.
RST head Sergey Romashkin said that ‘no more than a dozen bookings were cancelled, but sales compared to the previous day decreased by 25%’.
Tyurina did not exclude that the explosion in Abkhazia contributed to this.
Two people died and 60 were injured in the explosion, thirty-five of the injured were from Russia.
Abkhazia has also been concerned about what the media describes as a sharp rise in crime causing difficulties in tourism sector.
A Russian tourist was killed while being robbed by an armed group on 11 July.
Just a day before the murder, a drug-store was robbed in Abkhazia.
The Russian embassy made a statement about the incidents calling for Russians to be more cautious while visiting Abkhazia.
Some in Abkhazia hope that establishing a controversial joint centre for Abkhazian and Russian police could offer a solution, as some in Abkhazia have been dissatisfied with the performance of the local police force. The joint centre will include officers from both Abkhazia and Russia. The project has faced criticism in Abkhazia amid concerns of ‘losing sovereignty’, as some see it as part of a growing dependence on Russia.
For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.
Related Articles
Abkhazia
Economic crisis looms in Abkhazia amid electricity shortages, ban of mandarins
The fallout from Abkhazia’s political crisis, which led to the downfall of President Aslan Bzhaniya in late November, has since evolved into one that impacts the economy. Over the last week, Abkhazia was hit with twin economic setbacks stemming from Russia, its primary financial benefactor. On 6 December, Russia banned the import of mandarins from Abkhazia, one of its top exports. Following this, electricity shortages, exacerbated by the prevalence of illegal crypto mining and the loss
Abkhazia
Wounded Russian soldiers based in Abkhazia claim they were forcibly sent to Ukraine
According to a video message shared on Telegram on Wednesday, soldiers from the 7th Russian Military Base in Abkhazia are being sent to the frontlines of Ukraine instead of receiving treatment at a military medical commission. The soldiers, who belong to military unit 09332, allege they were transferred to the Afipsky district of Krasnodar Krai where they believed they were to attend a medical commission. ‘They are taken to Luhansk, ostensibly to the rear area, but actually to the dugout
Abkhazia
Abkhazian Parliament rejects Russian investment agreement
The Abkhazian Parliament has voted against the ratification of the agreement on Russian investment in Abkhazia. Twenty-three MPs attended the extraordinary session of parliament on Tuesday, of which 19 voted against the agreement, while three abstained. The session was held after a letter with 19 signatures was sent to the Speaker of Parliament, Lasha Ashuba. According to regulations, an extraordinary parliamentary session must be held if a third of the MPs — or 12 MPs — request such a s
Most Popular
Subscribe to our newsletter
